Advent of the Shadow Clones
by Kimyona Baka Deviyel
Summary: These...these things...where did they come from? Why are they here? The horror...the destruction...why? This shouldn't be happening; we haven't done anything wrong. What are the Shadow Clones, and why have the targeted us? (Temporary hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Fateful Beginning

Inside a mansion known as Smash Mansion lived people apart of a tournament called the Brawl Tournament. The tournament was ending in a just few days, and the participants, who call themselves the Smashers, were preparing to leave.

Veterans, such as Mario and Link, have already decided that they shall join the next tournament. It was too fun of an opportunity to miss out on. Newcomers, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Diddy Kong were still deciding.

Then you have people like Kirby of Dreamland, Kirby for short, who are very carefree and fun-loving. Kirby was the life of the party, a very joyous and friendly pink ball of greatness. Adorable, honest, and a bit timid, everyone loved Kirby.

"Meta Knight," the pink puffball said, "will you be returning to the next tournament? Please do…" Kirby put on his best begging face on. He knew Meta Knight couldn't resist it. After all, they have been friends since forever.

Meta Knight just stared at him.

"I do not know, Kirby-sama. I'm not certain if I can survive being surrounded by uncouth people like King Dedede and Wario again. I believe I'll have a mental breakdown if I do."

Kirby pouted, his big blue eyes getting wider. "But Meta Knight, _I'll _have a mental breakdown if you don't!"

"Kirby-sama, do not worry. Why don't we discuss this another, hmm?"

"Oh, alright." Kirby rolled his eyes.

A loud, stuttering voice boomed on the intercom. Kirby laughed as he recognized Luigi's nervous voice.

"Er…uh, Kirby of Dreamland and, uh, Falco Lombardi? Please, um, report to Master Hand's office. Also, Yoshi the Dinosaur and Captain Douglass Jay Falcon, please, uh, clean the men's bathroom. That is all."

Kirby busted into hysterical laughter. "Douglass Jay Falcon? Ooh, I can't wait to troll Falcon about this, haha!"

"Kirby-sama, go now," Meta Knight scolded.

"Alright, alright. I'm goin', I'm goin'." Kirby walked away, a smirk forming on his face. "Heh, Douglass Jay Falcon. I can't wait to tell Samus about this…" he mumbled.

* * *

Kirby appeared before Master Hand and Falco. The large white glove floated in the air while Falco was reading, _"So You Want to Become an Awesome Pilot." _Ness was also here, sitting on a chair looking very upset. Kirby thought he was in trouble, which is just about everyday for Ness.

"Okay," Master Hand's voice boomed, "I need you and Mr. Lombardi to do something for me."

Falco stopped reading his book. He threw to the Ness, who then threw it on the ground and crossed his arms.

"Like what?" the blue pheasant asked.

Master Hand floated around for awhile, seemingly hesitant to tell the task he had in store for them. Eventually he faced them and spoke again.

"You see; there has been some strange noises coming from the basement. I had asked Mr. McCloud and Mr. Gear to do it, but they were unable to get the job complete. I believe you and Mr. Kirby are adequate enough to see what's wrong and solve the problem."

Falco rolled his eyes. "Why can't Fox and Snake do it?" Kirby nodded in agreement.

"Mr. McCloud and Mr. Gear apparently became frightened by the noises before they had the chance to, er, properly examine the basement."

"Figures," Falco said as he lit up a cigarette. "Me and Pink-Boy here will go see what's goin' on." Falco put the cigarette in his mouth, turned around and began to walk away.

"I thank you greatly!" Master Hand called. "Hopefully you'll do a much better job than Mr. Gear and Mr. McCloud." Kirby nodded. He could've sworn he heard his voice waver, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"C'mon puffball, let's get this over with. Walk faster."

Kirby exhaled deeply. "Okay birdbrain!" Kirby left the room and closed the door. He heard Master Hand begin to yell at Ness.

"Ness, the stunt you pulled last night was very dangerous! You two know very well you are not supposed to leave the mansion at night! Something terrible could happen to you!"

* * *

Falco and Kirby stared at the basement door. It was brown and dusty, and Kirby was sure that he saw a spider crawling on it a second ago. Overall, the door looked disgusting. Falco could care less; Kirby, however, cared extremely. Not about the dirtiness, though. The dirtiness wasn't the thing that made Kirby more than a bit nervous.

"S-should we get st-started, Falco?" asked a frightened Kirby.

Falco nodded. "Yeah, I guess…I just gotta go to the bathroom real quick."

Kirby stared at him. "WHAT? Why didn't you go earlier?"

"'Cause I didn't have to use it earlier! Calm the hell down! I'll only take one damn second. You act like it'll take a hour just to piss." Falco began to walk away.

"Besides!" he called. "If you start now, we'll have less work to do later." Kirby watched as Falco started to run to the bathroom, almost knocking down Pit.

"Damn it Falco! Watch where ya goin'!" Pit smiled and waved at Kirby. Kirby grinned goofily and waved back, then turned to the door, staring at it with immense fear.

Slowly, he grabbed the doorknob and began to twist the doorknob. His arms were shaking, and the noises weren't helping calm his nerves. He finally opened the door and peeked inside. The basement was dark, so he couldn't see anything. Kirby felt against the wall, trying to find the lightswitch.

"_That's so like Falco to leave me alone," _Kirby thought as he patted the wall. _"I can't find the lightswitch. Maybe it's because I'm too short that I can't reach it. Hurry up Fal-"_

_SWOOSH! _Kirby quickly turned around. He swore he felt a breeze behind him. No one else but him was there, and there were no open windows. Deciding it wasn't important, he turned back around. He managed to find a lightswitch. "Aha!" The Dreamlandian turned the light on. A bright flash blinded him for a second. Once he could see clearly again, Kirby looked at the very bottom of the long stairwell.

What Kirby saw would change his life forever.

There was a person standing there. His skin color was purple, like a grape. His eyes were as red as Mario's cap, and they stared directly into Kirby's. The only article of clothing the person wore was a spiky black collar. He carried a sword on his back. None of that scared Kirby. Only one thing struck immense fear into the puffball.

He looked exactly like Kirby.

Kirby was shocked. He couldn't move. The Kirby-clone seemed to be scared, and he disappeared. The lights turned off. Feeling a spell of dizziness, Kirby stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.

When Falco came back, he saw an unconscious Kirby lying on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Lockdown

"Kirby…? Kirby-sama, wake up," said a soft voice. It sounded familiar yet muffled. Kirby didn't respond, his brain refusing to register anything that's going on. Only the image of the Kirby-clone processed.

"Kirby!"

Kirby's eyes widened and he sat up quickly. Kneeling besides him was a concerned Marth and a snickering Ike.

"Are you okay?" Marth asked. "Falco came and got us after he saw you unconscious."

Kirby looked around to see all of the Smashers staring at him with worried eyes. Kirby smiled a little, relieved that his friends was worried about his welfare.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just saw something scary, that's all."

"You saw your own reflection, didn't you?" Ike asked. Falco laughed and high-fived Ike. Kirby narrowed his eyes.

"No, blueberry boy, it was something else."

Meta Knight walked towards Kirby. "What do you see?"

"It… was this thing. I think it was a male. It looked like me, like a clone."

"A clone?" Link asked, puzzled. "The only other person that resembles you is Meta Knight."

"No, he was purple and had red eyes He was wearing a black spiky collar and carried a sword on his back! He had all of my features. He looked exactly like me!"

"A clone…how the hell is that even possible?"

"That's what I wanna know!"

Ike rolled his eyes, and Falco followed suit. They stood up and started to walk away.

"And where do you think you two are going?" Marth asked.

"Somewhere," Falco said. "You really believe that gumball? He was scared outta his mind! He was just probably seein' things. It's normal, I guess!"

"I know what I saw!" Kirby exclaimed. "I saw a clone of myself!"

"Kirby, calm down." Marth placed a hand on the Dreamlandian, and then directed his attention to Falco. "Well, Kirby was pretty accurate in his description Falco. And besides, I don't think anyone will say they saw a clone of themselves. You don't make up these kinds of claims, or at least not Kirby. There may be some truth to this."

"Hey, you go ahead and believe him. I, on the other hand, am going upstairs to continue my Skype conversation," Ike said. He and Falco headed to the stairs. Link grabbed them both and dragged them back towards the Smashers.

"Now listen up! We all know Kirby would never lie about anything, and if he says he saw something, well then he saw something. Now, I don't know whether or not it was a clone of him, but I do know that there is something very strange in that basement."

The Smashers nodded in agreement. Many of them have been hearing noises come from the basement, and it didn't sound normal. Perhaps something-or one-was in the basement.

Link continued. "The thing Kirby saw probably has some friends lurking around in the basement or outside. So, I gotta plan: First, we're gonna lock the basement door. Second, I'm putting this place on Lockdown."

"What the hell, Link?" Falco nearly yelled, obviously not agreeing with Link's plan. "You're overreacting! This thing probably doesn't exist! And even if it did, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have friends outside. Why waste our time on something that's not even real."

"'Cause I trust Kirby! You know damn well that there have been very weird things going on in that basement, and the fact that Kirby saw something confirms our suspicions. I may be overreacting, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Now, Lockdown is beginning at midnight tonight, and no better dare to leave this mansion; not until we determine whether or not this thing Kirby saw is real."

Falco glared at Link, then Kirby, then back at Link. He sighed loudly, expressing his dislike for the plan. It didn't make sense to place the mansion on lockdown. Like seriously? A "clone"? There weren't any clones and Falco knew it. Kirby was just being a scaredy-cat, as usual, and probably thought of this as a result of his fear. Now everyone's all scared and overreacting because of some bumps during the night. There wasn't any need to shut down the mansion because of some puffball's farfetched claim!

Falco decided to leave and headed up the stairs, expressing loudly that the plan made zero sense and won't work. Link told him to shut up.

"So…" Ike began, "what if this Lockdown thing turns out to be a failure, huh?" Ike ran his hand through his wild blue hair, smirking at the possibility that Link's plan won't work. He had to admit that it didn't make a lot of sense, and pretty much seems to be the result of irrational fear. Then again, the noises and Kirby's sighting seem to matchup…

"Trust me, it'll work." Link smirked also. He was certain his plan would work. Well, almost certain. It seemed simple: no one leaves, and if all things go dandy for the night, he'll reveal the second part: search the basement. The Hylian really hoped what Kirby saw was real.

"So should we tell Master Hand, right?"

"Oh hell no! He won't believe us, and he'll probably shut down our operation. It's best that we do this on our own."

"Sure…"

"Well, I guess I'll take Kirby back to his room so he can rest," Marth said. "C'mon Kirby, I'll make you a snack."

"Can it be some potato chips and pop?"

"Yes Kirby."

Ike wrapped his arm around Marth and whispered in his ear. "Don't forget to give him the crazy pills, Marthy-Marth. Sneak them into the pop or something."

"Oh shut up, blueberry boy!" Marth snapped. He broke away from a laughing Ike and went to go get Kirby his snack.

"Well guys and gals! Are we good with the plan?" Link inquired. He took off his hat and twirled it on his finger, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. Obviously he was failing, but the Smashers nodded their approval with the seemingly good plan. Link smiled.

"Then it's settled. Lockdown begins tonight!"

* * *

Behind the Smash Mansion was Smashville Forest, a forest filled with verdant trees and flowers. The forest was famous for its everlasting beauty. The birds chirped during the day, and the crickets sang their songs during the night.

The sun shined its bright light down upon the trees, giving them their natural elegance. The forest expelled extreme extravagance during the summertime. The forest itself contained majestic beauty, full of wild animals roaming gracefully, and it was the perfect place for animals-or people-to hide out.

Silence had overtaken the forest today. There was one tall tree that had a man lying on one of its large tree branches. He had a purple skin tone, black eyes and hair. He fixed his collar and adjusted his hat. His attire overall was similar to Link's, except the clothing was all black. The man pulled out his sword, which seemed to be a dark version of the Master Sword, and twirled it on his finger until a small amount of blood started dripping to the ground below. He smiled, apparently feeling no pain at all. The man stared at his sword, seemingly admiring the purplish aura emanating from it. He then sighed at the fact that there was nothing to do.

Then, from out of the shadows, appeared a woman. She too had purple skin, and her eyes and hair were as blue as the ocean. The woman was puckered his lips, which had neon-blue lipstick on them. She wore a very tight red and black mini-dress. She also had a black crown that strongly resembled Princess Peach's crown. She smiled and tapped the tree lightly. The man noticed her and jumped down from the tree. His eyes stared at the woman's curvaceous body.

Hey Ecstasy, what'cha doin' here?" the man asked as he wrapped his arms around the woman.

"Hi Midnight. I just came here to show you my new dress. You like?" Ecstasy broke from Midnight's embrace and posed for him. The dress revealed a bit too much cleavage, but Midnight smiled as he picked her up bridal style. Ecstasy laughed.

"Midnight, the real reason I came here is because the boss said we can start."

"Start?" Midnight was puzzled, and then a lightbulb appeared above his head. He smacked it away. "Really now, we can finally act." Midnight smiled evilly. "My lust for blood needed to be fulfilled. Do the others know?"

"Yeah. The boss had gotten very important information, and he said we could strike. Our Light Twins won't know what hit them."

"Ah…the wait is now over." Midnight put Ecstasy back on the ground. He stared lovingly into her eyes.

"Now Midnightie, why were you here all by yourself?"

Midnight shrugged. "There's nothing to do."

"Well then, maybe I can find something for you to do." Ecstasy ran her hands down her sides. Midnight stared with desire in his eyes.

"Why don't we leave?"

With a flick of her hand, Ecstasy and Midnight disappeared, silence filling the forest again.

* * *

Just a quick note: this story will soon be rated M, mainly because of the next chapter. Yep, another encounter is already happening, and this one won't end so well... Enjoy~!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: One is Gone

The clock has just hit midnight. As planned, everyone was in the mansion. Lockdown had officially begun.

Many people were asleep, while others tried to pass the time by playing games or having late-night brawls. Kirby was in his room watching TV with Meta Knight. They were watching their favorite anime, Excel Saga, but Kirby had trouble enjoying. He was still scared from the day before. What was that thing, and what did it look like him?

"Kirby-sama? Are you okay?" Kirby glanced towards his friend.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't worry 'bout me, Meta Knight-sama." Meta Knight continued to stare at Kirby. He was very concerned. Whatever Kirby saw has gotten him very worried, and Meta Knight didn't like that one bit.

While Kirby was being frightened of the clone, Ness was frightened of being caught.

"Oh man…where's my cap!" Ness searched behind a bush, but to no avail.

Ness knew he shouldn't be out here, but he had to find his cap! No one will know he's out here anyway. Lucas should be asleep by now, and Popo had moved their Black Ops II match to tomorrow. Ness had the perfect time to find his cap.

The PK-user searched everywhere, but he simply couldn't find it. He wished he never had taken it off while playing with Lucas earlier.

"Ah man! I must've left it in the mansion. Ugh!" Ness slowly walked back to the mansion when he began to hear soft footsteps.

"Who's there?" he asked without turning around.

The footsteps stopped. A breeze passed by. Ness shrugged his shoulders and began to walk a little faster. The steps began again, this time sounding closer, louder. Ness became a little nervous. His breathing became a bit heavier. He'd increased his walking pace, yet the steps got louder and louder. Ness was sweating now, and his nervousness got stronger. The steps grew closer and closer…

Suddenly they stopped. Slightly relieved, Ness looked around the large field. He saw nothing. He decided he was panicking for nothing and compared himself to Kirby. His breathing returned to a normal rate and he slowed down his walking pace.

_SLICE! _Ness heard that familiar sound and felt a twinge of pain. He looked at his arm; it was slightly bleeding. There was a tree branch next to him that had little splats of blood on it. He concluded that his just cut his arm on the branch. He continued towards the mansion. He would have to remember to get a band-aid. Getting this arm infected could prevent him for enjoying his match with Popo tomorrow.

_SLICE! _Ness felt another cut. He looked at his other arm. The cut was deeper this time, letting more blood come out. Ness's nervousness returned, and he increased his walking speed again.

_SLICE, SLICE! _He was cut on his legs this time. Ness started panicking and started to run. He had no idea what was cutting him, but he didn't want to fin out. He heard the footsteps again, and the cuts were getting deeper and deeper. He ran faster, dodging trees and rocks, as the footsteps grew louder. The mansion was within he sight. He was almost there. He ran faster and faster until-

_SWISH! _Ness stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the large cut across his chest. He was bleeding heavily. Gasping heavily, he collapsed the ground. His cries for help were drowned out by the ferocious wind. Ness kept screaming as he began to cry and slowly crawl back towards the mansion. Blood trickled down his mouth, and he screamed in agony as pain filled his body. He looked up, tears slightly making his vision blurry. He was _so_ close to the mansion.

Ness used the remains of his strength and courage and began to crawl as fast as he could to the grand mansion, until someone stepped in front of him. Ness couldn't clearly see the person, as his vision was becoming foggy as a result of blood loss, but he could see some angel wings and the bloody sword the person was holding. Ness's eyes widened. He shook his head in disbelief as the person raised the sword above their head. He was scared. The blood he threw up tasted salty and metallic. Why won't someone come and save him?

Blood from the sword dripped onto Ness's face, making Ness cringe in extreme disgust and fear. He could've sworn that he heard soft laughter coming from the person. _"Who is this person?" _Ness wondered hopelessly. _"Why are they doing this to me? Why isn't anyone saving me? Please…please hear my screams, somebody, anybody!" _

Before Ness could say, "Please, don't," the sword slashed through him and blood gushed out of him like a water fountain. The deep red liquid covered the ground slowly, eventually surrounding the mysterious killer's feet. The person watched as Ness slowly closed his eyes and his skin become pale. The person laughed crazily, the horrid chuckles filling the clear night…

Kirby abruptly awoke, waking up Meta Knight in the process. The pink puffball was panting heavily, as if he had a nightmare.

"Ah…Kirby-sama, what is wrong?" Meta Knight asked sleepily. He rubbed his yellow eyes tiredly, trying to build up some concern for Kirby.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that laughter? It sounded really creepy." Kirby fumbled with his sheets, looking out of the window to see clouds passing by the large moon. He swore he could've heard laughter and faint screaming coming from outside, which wouldn't be possible because everyone was inside the mansion.

"I did not hear anything Kirby-sama. It was probably the wind dancing in the night. There's nothing to be scared of. Now let's go back to sleep."

"Oh, alright." Kirby snuggled back down, still wondering about what he heard. He eventually dismissed the thought and went back to sleep, the moon's light shining down upon him.

* * *

Early in the morning, the whole mansion awoke to Peach's bloodcurdling screams. Everyone rushed outside to watch the horrors unfold before them.

"Oh my God…" Lucas mumbled, "NESS!"

The Smashers couldn't help but stare as one of Ness's arms was stuck in a bush, another one in a tree, and both of his legs hidden near some rocks. In the middle of the field laid Ness, blood still spewing from his body.

The whole air smelled of the red liquid. Some Smashers cried; others threw up. Lucas, unable to handle seeing his friend dead, broke down completely and collapsed onto the ground, crying relentlessly. "Who would do this to him? Who…how…why did this happen? Why did it happen to Ness? Why do this to him? Why, why, why?" Lucas covered his face with his hands as Zelda kneeled besides him, comforting him. Link turned away and swore under his breath. Marth and Ike stared at the ground, shaking their heads in disbelief. Kirby just stood there silently, shocked by what has happened. The screams he heard last night…could that have been from Ness? Was the laughter from his murderer? Why would Ness be even out here?

Link clenched his fists, tears streaming down his face. "It's official…" Link started, "we gotta find the clone. We gotta make him pay…" He took out his sword and pierced the ground with it. "We have to make that bastard and his friends realize that you don't mess with the Smashers! That prick will fuckin' pay!" Link held his sword tightly. He twisted it gingerly while staring at the ground, emotions of sadness and anger running through him. His cheeks burned red from the constant crying. Kirby was right; he was right about everything. Something is in this mansion, something evil, and it just killed his friend. This was not going to be let go without consequences. Whether or not that thing is a clone or whether that thing has friends isn't important right now; all Link knows that it will die. And he will be the person that will end its life, no matter what.

"Mario and Wario, go pick up his remains. Peach, go tell Master Hand what happened. Everybody else, starting getting chairs and such; we're gonna have a funeral for Ness." Link's tone sounded serious and sad, and Kirby knew he wasn't playing around. He walked towards the mansion to get supplies. Everyone left except Zelda and Lucas. She watched the blonde boy curl up into a ball, crying his little heart out._  
_

* * *

Oh...to the Ness fans, sorry for getting rid of Ness...*nervous laugh* There was some foreshadowing in Chapter 1...anybody that can figure out will get a cookie~


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Planning and Recovery

Deep in the depths of Smashville Forest was a frightening mansion that used to belong to an old man who killed innocent people. After the man died, the house was abandoned, left to rot away over the years. Inside of the mansion was even worse, with cobwebs and blood covering the walls. In the living room was a black couch covered with blood stains. Ecstasy sat on the couch, staring at the gloomy ceiling. She glanced at Midnight, who happened to be talking to a very tall woman. This woman had green hair, red eyes, and purple skin. She was wearing a green dress vaguely similar to Lady Palutena's, and she held a staff in her hand. The woman laughed, her laughter giving off the sense of danger and destruction. She applied some red lipstick to her lips, and then looked in a mirror, seemingly pleased by her attire as she adjusted her dress so it can show a bit more of her chest.

"Galaxianna," Ecstasy said, her fingers twirling in the air, "did ya hear about what happened to one of our Light Twins?"

The woman stopped admiring herself. She nodded. "Yep. One little bastard is gone." She reapplied more lipstick. "Too bad I didn't get to kill him. I would've left a mark to let those pricks know what they're dealing with."

"You were going to put 'Galaxianna was here', weren't you?" a smirking Midnight asked. Galaxianna pouted.

"…Maybe. But it doesn't matter anyway. What'd done is done, and that's all to it."

"Yeah, but if he was gonna kill someone, why couldn't he kill his own Light Twin?"

"Because I'm a sadistic bitch like that," said a rough voice. Midnight quickly directed his gaze at a young man leaning against the doorway. He ran his hand through his smooth black hair and flapped his dark green angel wings slowly. His skin color made him blend it with the eggplant-colored walls. He took off his bloody black T-shirt and threw it on the floor, his red eyes glaring intensely at Galaxianna's chest. Galaxianna noticed and she gave out a little pose.

"So…" Galaxianna purred, her eyes fixed on the young man's smooth chiseled chest, "did you have fun last night?"

"You know I did, baby. Blood and guts flying everywhere turned me on greatly."

"Great…now you two are gonna have an all-night love fest, aren't you?" Midnight asked disgustingly. Galaxianna nodded, which resulted in a heavy sigh from the now-annoyed Midnight.

"Ya know ya like hearing us, Midnightie. Don't deny it." Galaxianna winked while Ecstasy broke out into laughter. Midnight groaned.

The young man flapped his wings and flew into the air. He flew swiftly around the room before circling Galaxianna many times.

"Ah…I was out this morning when I saw our Light Twin's expressions. Boy, were they priceless! They were wondering who did it and everything! It was like a mystery novel. A pathetic mystery novel."

"And let's hope no one finds out you did it," Galaxianna said with a serious tone. She let the man play with her hand. "Let's hope Nocturnal and Nightmare doesn't get to them first. A word outta any of those two can result in the Light Twins knowing about us."

The angel groaned heavily. "Oh God, please don't mention their names. I swear to God, they just could've agreed with us! But no, they don't think killing is fun. What's not fun about tearing someone's heart out? Those two better not say anything, or they are going to have to answer to my sword. Same for Amethyst." The young man picked up a vase and threw at the ceiling. The others laughed as water spilled down on the angel's hair. The man laughed as well. "But eh, like I say, kill anybody and everybody."

"Darkrion, you are so funny, my devilish little angel." Galaxianna chuckled as the man picked her up into the air.

"I like to please you, my Galaxia Darkness." Galaxianna smiled.

* * *

Sadness and hurt filled the Smash Mansion. Everyone was speechless. No words could describe how anyone was feeling. The death of their friend had affected them greatly, especially Link, Lucas and Kirby.

Kirby sat outside Lucario's room as he watched Lucas cry softly into Peach's arms. It had been an extremely hard time for Lucas, since he was the one closest to Ness. Now that his best friend was gone, Lucas felt like nothing mattered anymore. Kirby's heart felt shattered. He wished none of this had happened. There were so many conflicting emotions…it was hard for him to handle. That's why he was waiting for Lucario to wake up. Maybe he could help Kirby feel better. Maybe he could help Kirby get a better grasp of things.

Kirby jumped up when Lucario's door creaked open. He saw the Aura Pokémon tower over him. His face showed signs of crying. Not a good sign if Lucario's crying.

Lucario stood there motionless, his eyes fixed upon the young puffball.

"L-Lucario, I was wondering…can I talk to you?" Kirby braced himself for a firm "No." Lucario didn't seem to be in the mood for talking, but Kirby was in dire need of his help. He could go ask Meta Knight, but he didn't want to worry him. A worried Meta Knight was the last thing Kirby needed.

Lucario turned his gaze at Lucas, then to Kirby again. He sighed heavily. "Sure. Come on in." Lucario walked slowly back into his room. Kirby was appalled by his answers, and kind of worried about the tone. It sounded emotionless, like Lucario had given up all hope. Kirby walked into Lucario's room and shut the door behind him. His room gave off the feeling of sadness and, somehow, courage. It always made Kirby feel depressed whenever he was in here, but it also seemed to be a place of which someone can clear their mind, and that is what Kirby needed to do.

"Hello Kirby. Did you hear about Master Hand postponing the end tournament date?"

"Yeah." He had forgotten about that. The tournament won't be ending until all the problems are solved and the police figure out who Ness's killer was.

"So Kirby, you are here to talk to me about Ness, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

Lucario sighed sadly. "I can't believe what happened to our dear friend. An evil person taking away such an innocent boy's life? Such shame."

"Yeah…this should have never happened. It's my entire fault."

Lucario tilted his head. "Hm? How?"

"The night before…I heard faint screaming. I didn't know who it was, so I didn't do anything. I also heard laughter. I should have done something."

Lucario placed a paw on Kirby's arm. "Do not worry, Kirby-sama. You didn't know. It's not your fault."

"Still, if I never saw that clone, none of this would have happened. Ness would still be alive."

"Now Kirby, do not blame yourself. You had nothing to do with this. This person or thing has taken away our wonderful Ness's life, and it should be the one to blame, not you."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. Kirby-sama, don't feel guilty about what someone else has done. I know this is a time of fear and grief, but you have to stay strong; just like Lucas needs to stay strong. Seeing him in so much pain hurts me, but eventually he'll find the strength to move on. Everybody will, including you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lucario-sama."

"Good."

"Uh, yeah, everybody! Link needs y'all in the living room NOW! It's important, so hurry up!" Toon Link's voice crackled on the intercom. Lucario and Kirby looked at each other, and then quickly hurried to the living room.

* * *

The Smashers watched Link pace back and forth, watching him break whatever that was in his way. His facial expression showed fury, and it looks like he had been crying all day. The tension he caused scared Kirby.

"Okay…listen up! We have recently lost a friend to a "clone" or whatever. Whatever the hell this thing is, I know that it and its friends must be stopped. There's no way that we're letting this tragedy pass by, and I refuse to let one of us be the next one to die. So tomorrow, at noon, we're going into the basement and finding the clones and drag them out one by one. We'll show them that they shouldn't fucking mess with the Smashers!" Link drew out his sword and examined it closely. "We will get them." Zelda stood next to him, caressing his hand gently.

"I agree with you, Link," she said softly, struggling to hold back tears. "There's no way that we'll let them get away with this." All the Smashers nodded their heads in agreement. Tomorrow will be the day they'll get their sweet revenge. Kirby watched as the Smashers cheered at Link, some leaving to go get ready. Kirby nervously tapped his foot. He was scared to no end. What if they planed an ambush? What if the Smashers couldn't hold them off? So many questions, yet so little answers. This annoyed Kirby greatly. He felt helpless, lost. Then he remembered the words Lucario said. Kirby knew that he had to stay strong and move on, but that's hard to do when fear is striking through your body and you have no idea about what to do.

Kirby sighed. He shouldn't worry too much about this. He stared at Link. The young man looked like a hurt Hylian warrior, ready to go to war. But, deep inside, he seemed lost just like Kirby. Link noticed Kirby staring at him and smiled. Kirby gave a half-hearted smile back, but Kirby knew this wasn't the time for smiling.

It just wasn't time.

* * *

By the way, I think I may post another chapter today. I'm feeling particularly nice... *Gives away cookies*


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Appearance of a Nightmare

The sun shined brightly on the young warrior's Hylian Shield, the Master Sword raised in the air with honor. Zelda admired her boyfriend while preparing some magic and healing spells. Luigi helped Mario gather Fire Flowers and Super Mushrooms while Pit readied his bow, his wings flapping excitedly. Kirby watched Meta Knight and Toon Link polished their swords. He knew they were prepared; he knew everyone was prepared-except him. He wasn't ready for this. The Smashers were out for revenge for Ness. They were out for cold blood. Yes, this was more than revenge for a friend; this was a war for justice, and Kirby was not sure if he could handle it.

"Guys," began Link, "start heading to the basement. Kirby claimed that he saw something in the basement, and it's time to check it out. We won't Ness's death be in vain." Link walked out of the room, and the Smashers followed suit. Kirby slowly followed. Everyone else was determined, while the Dreamlandian was terrified. Who knows what they'll see? Kirby truly didn't want to find out.

If only he never saw that clone.

* * *

"There's nothing here!" a frustrated Wolf yelled. "Just dusty ol' boxes!"

"Keep looking!" Link shouted back.

Forty-five minutes passed by, and no one saw anything that could be a clue of someone hiding in here. The Smashers were tired and getting annoyed quickly.

"Ugh! There's nothing here!" Sonic announced. "This is goin' NOWHERE! Why don't we call the police again and-"

"Earth to Sonic, do you see the police doing anything! They have NO LEADS at all. This is obviously something they can't handle, so I say fuck them!" Link angrily picked up a box and threw it somewhere else.

"So you think we can handle them asshole?"

"Shut up!" Lucas screamed. Sonic and Link stared at him. "We're trying to find who killed Ness, not hear you two argue about trivial things! Now, keep searching!" Lucas pushed over a box. Link and Sonic apologized. Everyone was annoyed greatly and some thought about giving up.

"This sucks. That clone may be long gone," complained Falco.

"I agree," Meta Knight said slowly. "We have thoroughly searched this place and there is still nothing to be found."

Link sighed. He knew they were right, but he needed to find something, just _anything. _

Zelda walked slowly toward Link, grabbing his hand softly.

"Link…maybe we should finish tomorrow."

"Maybe, but-" _CRASH!_

"What-a the hell was that?" Mario asked. The Smashers looked around, searching for the cause of the noise until Sonic gasped loudly. "Look! There's a foot stickin' out from behind those boxes." The foot instantly became hidden.

Kirby was puzzled. The foot didn't belong to the clone he saw. Which means that this person is probably another clone.

"Hey!" called Link, pulling out his Master Sword. "Show yourself!"

There was no response. Link growled.

"Wanna play games, huh? It won't be fun when your blood is-"

"Okay, okay! I will stop hiding!" a voice yelled. A purple hand slowly emerged from the boxes. Kirby shivered, bracing himself for an attack of some sort.

The person eventually stood up. His face showed emotions of misery and confusion. The Smashers were shocked and afraid. This clone didn't look like Kirby.

"Oh my God…" Zelda mumbled, her hand on her chest. "You look just like-"

"Me," Marth finished.

A man with purple skin fixed his short black hair and adjusted his green tiara. He wore a black deep-V shirt and pants, in which no one but Samus was looking at admiringly. Like Marth, he had a sword, but this one he carried on his back. His eyes were as red as an apple. Kirby was reminded of the clone he saw. He tapped his foot rapidly and searched quickly around the room, apparently looking for a way out.

"Well, we're screwed," Sonic stated nonchalantly. "Might as well start writin' our wills…" Sonic's voice trailed off as he noticed the clone staring at him.

"Do not worry," he said calm voice that was slightly deeper than Marth's. "I shall not hurt you."

"And why should we believe you, huh? You killed our friend!" Link glared at the man with extreme hatred. He wanted to make the clone experience the pain Ness had.

"Now, now, Link. He ain't killed us yet. Or I hope he don't," Popo said, eyeing the clone's sword.

The clone sighed. He slid his hands into his pockets.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nightmare, and as you can clearly see, I am a Shadow Clone, and Marth is my Light twin. Please realize that I was not the one who has killed your friend." Nightmare flashed a quick smile, attempting to lighten the mood. His red apple-colored eyes looked at Marth, whose face had an obvious sign of fear and puzzlement.

"How do you know my name?" the prince asked. "And what is a Light Twin?"

"Shadow Clone?" a puzzled Mario said. "What-a is that?" Mario scratched his head, and Link slowly tapped his fingers on his sword. Nightmare brushed some hair out of his eyes and closed them, exhaling deeply. He reopened his eyes, which were now shining brightly.

"You may want to sit down, for this may take awhile."

* * *

Sorry for the shortness of this chapter...I have to admit, I was pretty lazy here.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Origins

"I am truly sorry that you have lost a friend. But please that it was not me who had taken his life." Nightmare's eyes were full of sympathy and sadness. Link rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, if you didn't do it, who did?"

"My companions and I are attempting to figure out whom." Nightmare smiled slightly. "We have reason to believe that it may have been Darkrion."

"And may I ask who the hell is this Darkrion person?"

"An evil Shadow Clone of an angel named Pit." Pit gulped loudly. He didn't like the words "evil", "clone," and "Pit" in the same sentence.

Nightmare looked at Pit, noting to be careful not to mention Darkrion's name again. He could tell the Smashers were scared; they knew nothing of him. They knew nothing of the situation and were extremely frightened by it. Their hostility was out of fear; it was easy for Nightmare to see. He exhaled deeply, hoping this explanation can clear things up, though he barely can understand it himself…

"You see," he began, "I am a Shadow Clone. Shadow Clones are, well, clones of you all. We refer to you as our Light Twins. Every single one of us has been watching our Light Twins, learning about getting to know about you. This is how I know the name of my Light Twin, Marth. I know that he is the Prince of Altea. I know this because I have been watching him-I've been watching all of you."

Link shook his head in disbelief. "So you things spied on us? I swear I could kill you with my bare hands right now. You all were just waiting for the right time strike and take us all out, weren't you?"

"No. Please, listen to me. Not all Shadow Clones are like the one that killed your precious friend. We are split into three different groups: the ones that want to protect you, or the Good ones; the ones that want to hurt you, or the Evil ones; and then Unknown ones. I am part of the Good ones. I am here to not only protect my Light Twin, but all of you. The Evil Shadow Clones have taken orders from some unknown person to kill you all. Us Good Ones want to prevent that"

Link scoffed. "Well, you're a little too late for that."

"Once again, I am truly, truly sorry. We did not know they were going to strike so early. We were caught off guard."

"If you were watching us, the why the hell didn't you and your friends come save Ness, huh? Why did you just leave him to die?"

Zelda shushed Link. "Link, quiet." She turned her direction towards Nightmare. "What are Unknown Clones?"

"The Unknown are ones who are neither good nor bad. They are neutral, seldom choosing a side to belong to. They have a tendency to intervene when they are needed. In summary, they prefer to watch and judge."

Kirby shivered. "Are…are you implying that they won't save us…?

Nightmare stared intriguingly at Kirby, causing the little puffball to look down. The puffball was timid, yet had a very strange aura. Yes, this is the one. This is the Light Twin of…

"Answer him," Link commanded. Nightmare snapped out of his trance and nodded.

"I…I honestly cannot answer that. That depends on their actions, on their decisions. I have no right to answer for them."

The Smashers were silent. It was amazing that these things, these Shadow Clones, have hidden themselves from sight. They've been watching without any of them knowing; it was frightening. And now they've lost a friend, all because they didn't realize danger was near them.

The realization made Link enraged. His blood was boiling. He didn't believe a single word Nightmare said, or at least he didn't want to, and he was ready to show it. He pointed the Master Sword at Nightmare's face, his eyes showcasing true anger.

"How the hell were you created? How were these "Shadow Clones" made?" Nightmare didn't answer. Link asked again, his voice rising yet trembling.

"Sadly, we do not know how we were made of where we come from," he finally said. "It has been a mystery to us for the longest of times. I only know they we've just appeared with no recollection of our past." Link narrowed his eyes.

"That's not a good enough answer, damnit!"

"Link!" Zelda yelled. "For Naryu's sake, leave him alone. He told us what he knows; there's nothing else we can do. You can't get mad at him! It's not his fault!"

"Yes the hell it is! He's lying! I'm sick and tired of this! He's one of those things that killed Ness, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him live! He won't tell me what he knows, then he can and will die!"

Link pulled the Master Sword over his head and swung down quickly. However, he missed. The others gasped as Nightmare appeared behind the Hylian, twisting him around and grabbing him by the neck. His once apple-colored eyes were now a fiery orange. With his other hand, he grabbed Link's sword and threw it at the wall, creating a large hole. Link's eyes widened.

His hand still wrapped around the shivering Hylian's neck, Nightmare pulled out his sword and held it closely to Link's face. The sword was split halfway down the middle and enveloped by a purple aura, the complete opposite of his Light Twin's sword. Link eyed with fear, cringing as the cold blade gently touched his face.

"I suggest you never do that again," Nightmare growled. "I am not a person you should attempt to harm. I have the ability to fatally injure you. I am here to protect you, not to damage you in any way. I have decided not to harm you now, but next time I will not be so nice, so perhaps you should not anger me again. Do you or do you not understand my warning?"

Link struggled to breath, but he managed to say yes. Nightmare flashed a satisfied smile. His eyes returned to its original color as he placed his sword back. He let go of Link; the Hylian stumbled and fell backwards, grabbing his neck and staring at Nightmare in immense alarm. He was speechless, as was everyone else.

"Like I said before, I am here to protect you and your friends from further harm. I cannot allow you to act so reckless, and if that is the only way to keep you safe, then…then I guess I'll have to do it again. Remember my words though, Link; I won't go so easy on you. Hopefully you'll soon realize my true purpose for being here, and will begin to trust me." Nightmare looked around at the other Smashers. "I am sorry, but I have to go inform my companions of my simply wonderful meeting with you all. Do as what I told Link and believe in me." Nightmare snapped his fingers, and in an instant he was gone. Link stood up, shivering greatly.

"That's what ya get for messin' with someone that was obviously stronger than you," Sonic said, chuckling. Link glared at him, but he didn't say anything. Instead he turned around and left, not bothering to go retrieve his sword. Sonic continued talking, trying to keep back small bouts of laughter.

"I don't know about you guys, but I trust this Nightmare person. He seemed really sincere."

"Besides, he is Marth's clone. Of course he'll be the good guy," Bowser added.

"Well, not necessarily. Apparently Pit's clone is evil, and Pit is one of the nicest people we know," Peach argued. "His name-Darkrion, I think-sounds evil." Everyone looked at Pit, who held his head down.

"Please don't mention his name…" Everybody laughed before leaving the basement, Kirby stayed behind, thinking about what happened.

The Smashers had somewhat valuable information, though it all seemed like a lot to handle. There was only one problem: can it really be trusted? Kirby scratched his head and followed the others upstairs.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Understanding

The days went by without any mention of the Shadow Clone, Nightmare. There were no strange happenings as well. The Smashers encounter with the clone had left them speechless and puzzled. They understood what Nightmare and his companions were trying to do, but they needed more information. Where did they come from? Why are they here? Why have the chosen the Smashers as their prey? Nightmare promised he'd return; maybe some new information will shed some light.

Kirby had expected to see his clone, but at least he knew there's more than one. And that not all of them are ruthless killers…or at least he hoped so. But there was something about this Shadow Clone that made Kirby trust him. He didn't seem like the type to hurt anyone-well, excluding Link-and, just like Marth, he seemed kind and sophisticated, so there was no need to worry about him. The words Nightmare sounded genuine. Besides, if he really were evil, then he would've killed Link and everyone else. Kirby had reason to trust this clone.

But what about the other one? The one Nightmare called Darkrion? Was he the one that really killed Ness? Nightmare said that he was a clone of Pit, so why wasn't he good like Pit himself? Shouldn't they have the same personality? Could he possibly be representing a dark side of Pit? Kirby paced back and forth on the living room floor. He stared at the patterns on the carpet, thinking of it like a complicated maze. There were so many twists and turns and dead ends. It was so twisted and complex, just like the situation Kirby is in. It was a complicated maze of horror. Kirby wondered when another killing would happen. Who would be the cause of it? More importantly, who would be next?

"No!" Kirby said a little too loudly. "I shouldn't be thinking like this. Nightmare promised to protect us; he claimed him and his friends would keep us safe. But, it's just…do they really have the capability to save us? Maybe I should talk to Lucario again. Maybe he'll help clear things up."

"Excuse me, but are you the one known as Kirby, correct?" a familiar voice asked. Kirby quickly dismissed his thoughts and turned around to see Nightmare. A man was standing next to him, his expression showing he was extremely uncomfortable and angry. His hair was a wild cosmo black color, and his attire consisted of a black jacket and shirt with white pants. His hands were stuffed into his pockets. Kirby studied the main, only stopping when the man glared at him.

"H-how did you get here?" Kirby asked in embarrassment. His cheeks turned a deep red color. How long had they been standing there?

"I shall answer your question once you answer mine."

Kirby nodded. "Yes…I'm Kirby." The man kept his eyes on Kirby. _"Why is he staring at me?" _the puffball thought. _"What did I do wrong?"_

"Thank you," Nightmare said, slightly bowing in the process. "Now I shall answer yours. We teleported here."

Kirby didn't even want to ask how that's possible.

"Anyway, as you know already, I am Nightmare, and this is my boyfriend, Nocturnal." Nightmare touched the man's arm lovingly. Kirby almost choked on his spit. He didn't even know that Shadow Clones could love; nonetheless have a sexual preference! Kirby studied the man again. The green headband and facial expressions reminded him of Ike, excluding the purple skin. The pink puffball didn't even notice the sword Nocturnal had. It was in its sheath. The man noticed Kirby looking at him again and narrowed his eyes, causing the little puffball to turn away quickly.

Nightmare walked towards Kirby and patted his head, which made Kirby sigh a little. "Kirby, you are the one who witnessed a person who looked exactly like you, correct?" Kirby nodded.

"Y-yes."

Nightmare smiled. "You are indeed his Light Twin." Nightmare turned to Nocturnal. "See Nocturnal, I told you he was the one who saw Lightning."

Nocturnal shrugged his shoulders. "He wasn't supposed to see him. Our Light Twins weren't even supposed to know about our presence yet. Now look what happened; one of them is dead!"

"Nocturnal, sweetie, calm down; it is not Kirby's fault. He and Lightning just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't worry."

"It's kinda hard not to worry when our plan is falling apart, Nightmare."

Just then, Sonic and the other Smashers entered the room. Their eyes immediately widened when they saw Kirby with two Shadow Clones. Most of them started to swarm around Kirby, asking him countless questions. Sonic ran to the front of the crowd. Link's eyes fixed automatically on Nightmare.

"Oh my God!" Sonic exclaimed. "How the hell y'all get here?"

"Teleportation," Nocturnal said harshly. Sonic shivered, and then got mad.

"And, like, who the hell is you?"

"I'm Nocturnal." Sonic swore he could've heard him growl.

"Why are you here? And how can y'all teleport? That's not-"

"He's Nightmare's boyfriend!" Kirby blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth with his hands. The Smashers fell over. Sonic began to laugh hysterically.

"Whoa there! I didn't y'all Shadow Clones go in _that _type of way! This is priceless! I can't believe-" Sonic stopped abruptly when he noticed red fire emanating from Nocturnal's hands.

"I…uh….I'm gonna shut up now." Nocturnal smirked.

"In case any of you are wondering why we're here, it's because we have information about your friend's murderer."

"Who did it?" Zelda asked.

"As we have suspected, it was Darkrion, the little prick. It seems the Darkrion and his friends found out that you all knew about the Shadow Clones and their boss gave them permission to start attacking."

"Their boss?"

"Yes," Nightmare said. "The Evil Shadow Clones are taking orders from someone to kill you all. We have yet to find out whom. We won't let them carry out their plan."

Link gulped. "So they aren't going on their own free will?"

Nightmare immediately put on a huge grin, surprising everyone and confusing Nocturnal. He ran over to Link, though the Hylian backed away quickly.

"That's right Link! You are finally comprehending! It is so nice to see that you are speaking to me. I have expected you to not even acknowledge my existence! I have been in your room, watching you sleep ever so peacefully for the past few days."

A huge sweat drop rolled down Link's head. "You've WHAT?"

Nocturnal slightly scowled. "So that's where you've been every night."

"Now Link, calm down. We have much more important matters to attend to. We have to make sure that you all stay safe. No matter what, we _cannot _afford to make any more mistakes." Link stared at Nightmare with absolute fear. Nocturnal wrapped his arm around Nightmare.

"Nightmare's right. The other Shadow Clones won't stop until all of you are dead. We have to protect you guys, despite the tough situation we are in. For now, however, we have to gather more information. Farewell."

"Wait!" Ike called. "Are…are you my Shadow Clone?"

Nocturnal smirked at him. "What do you think?"

Nightmare twirled his fingers around in Nocturnal's hair as purple smoke engulfed them and they disappeared. Ike scratched his head.

"Why the hell did I have to have a Shadow Clone?"

"Is that really relevant? Just consider yourself lucky he's not trying to kill us," Peach said. "He, Nightmare, and whoever the other Good Shadow Clones may be are risking their very lives to protect ours. However, what I am really confused about is the fact the Evil ones are listening to someone else. I wonder why."

"I do-a too," Luigi said. "They must-a be getting something valuable in-a return."

"Still, it just seems strange. Why would people like them need to follow the orders of anyone?"

Ganondorf looked around nervously. "This is kinda hard to handle. I gotta go." He walked away quickly.

"Yeah, I agree with him for once. I gotta go lay down and think this confusing stuff out." Toon Link stretched, yawning loudly. The rest of the Smashers agreed with him and walked away. Kirby stayed behind. He thought of the complicated maze again and decided it has just gotten a little easier to solve.

* * *

Galaxianna floated in mid-air as Ecstasy chatted with Darkrion. They were making fun of the Smashers when someone knocked loudly on the door.

"Who the fuck is it?" asked an annoyed Midnight.

"It's me," a rough voice said. "Let me in."

"The door's unlocked."

The man walked in. He looked very unimpressed. He tapped his foot on the floor, letting the evil aura of the room flow through him.

"Well?" Midnight asked. "We're waiting. What do ya want? We have better things to do."

"I'm here to inform you that the Light Twins know of Darkrion's actions."

Darkrion and Ecstasy immediately stopped talking and faced the man. He could feel a murderous vibe emanating from Darkrion.

"How in the hell did they find out what I did? Those simple-minded fuckers can't figure out shit!" Galaxianna sat down next to her boyfriend, attempting to calm him down.

The man yawned, not phased at all by Darkrion's outburst. "Some Shadow Clones that goes by the names of Nightmare and Nocturnal informed them." Darkrion became furious. He picked up a vase and threw it at the wall, creating a large hole in the process. Ecstasy struggled to hold back her laughter as Darkrion paced around the room, spouting out every single curse word he could think of.

"What the hell? They fucking ruin everything! Now those damn Light Twins know about us! I swear, the next time I see those two, blood will be splattered every-fucking-where!"

Midnight stayed calm. "I should've known this was going to happen. They probably had Amethyst and Sympathy to help them figure out it was you that killed that stupid Light Twin. I've expected them to wait a little longer though."

"Well they didn't!" Darkrion yelled. "Knowing Nightmare, one of the idiot Light Twins probably saw him and he was forced to say everything."

"Do not worry," the man said. "Nightmare and Nocturnal are just little distractions. You all can get rid of them easily."

Ecstasy nodded in agreement. The man turned to leave.

"Hey wait!" Midnight called. "You never did tell us your name."

"My name…" the man hesitated, sighing before finishing, "…is Ganondorf." And suddenly, the man left the room.

* * *

Yeah, yeah, yeah...there's yaoi in here. Sorry if you don't like yaoi. It's pretty much going to be NocturnalxNightmare. Besides, it's going to play a very important part soon...you'll see.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Meeting of the Dark Angel

The cool summer breeze grazed Pit's face. He stood in front of Ness's gravestone, gently placing roses in front of it. Ness was one of his dearest friends, and his heart ached everyday for his friend. He will never be able to see him again, and that made the days a little harder to bear. Kirby and the other Smashers stood behind, not saying a word.

"Dear Ness, the greatest friend in the world," Pit began, his voice nearly a whisper, "I'm so sorry about what has happened to you. You didn't deserve this. You deserve to be alive right now, spending time with us. We miss you so much Ness. We'll make sure that Darkrion, the cruel bastard that did to you, will meet the same fate that you have unfortunately met. Don't worry buddy; we'll get you justice." Pit was crying now, unable to stop the endless stream of tears from coming. He slowly wiped his bitter tears from his face.

"It's such a shame that someone who looks exactly like me could do such a horrible thing." Pit looked at the sky, thinking about all the reasons on why this had happened, all the ways this could have been avoided, and then quickly shook his head. There was no way that the exact equivalent of Pit could commit such a ruthless killing. It seemed impossible. Pit kicked at some dirt.

The breeze grew stronger and the sky began to turn from a light blue into a dark gray. Leaves started flying around. Lucario snapped his head towards Smashville Forest. Kirby sensed something was wrong.

"Uh, Lucario-sama? Are you okay? What's happening?" The Aura Pokémon did not respond. He stared intensely at the forest. The trees were swaying back and forth; slowly at first, but then it started to swing more violently. Tree branches began to break off. Lucario sensed at evil aura coming from deep inside the forest. Zelda and Meta Knight seemed to recognize what Lucario was thinking, and they too looked at the forest.

Zelda's hair danced with the wind. "Perhaps we should go back inside."

Meta Knight nodded in agreement. "It seems like a storm is coming. We should head back inside."

The Smashers nodded their heads and started to walk back to the mansion. Pit gradually walked back. He wanted to know what was going on in the forest. He observed the forest curiously. He wanted to go explore it. He could walk around and clear his head, but he actually wanted to see Darkrion. He wanted to confront the clone. He wanted to kill him, to make him pay horribly.

His train of thought was interrupted when Ike called his name. Pit hurried to the mansion occasionally looking back.

* * *

As Meta Knight predicted, there was indeed a storm. The storm was a rough one. Lightning and thunder filled the skies, and the dark clouds covered the sun completely. Kirby watched the rain smack loudly against the window. He hated the rain. It represented gloominess and depression to him, and unfortunately, he was experiencing that.

"No use to mope around," he said to himself. Kirby sighed sadly. He rested his little body on his bed and slowly closed his eyes…

Pit opened his bedroom window, being extremely careful not to wake up Palutena. The rain had turned into a light drizzle over the past hour. He should be able to glide without any troubles. He carefully climbed out and spread his wings, letting the drizzle crash against his body. He flew swiftly into the sky, looking back to see if his girlfriend was still asleep. When he confirmed she was, he flew full speed towards Smashville Forest.

Smashville Forest was not a good place to be in when it was raining and winds were blowing strongly. Despite the fact that the rain was light, the winds blew with heavy force. Pit tried his best to stay on a straight path, avoiding tree branches. He gracefully maneuvered around one huge oak tree. Pit wanted to explore the forest, to find what he desperately wanted, and that's exactly what's he going to do. Pit had noticed Lucario, Meta Knight, and Zelda staring at the forest, and the seemed worried. Maybe they saw something. A clone, maybe? Pit hoped that clone was Darkrion. He just had to confront him about the hideous thing he'd done to Ness. He won't let his friend's death be in vain.

The winds picked up speed, and Pit found that it was hard to control his flight path. He tried to dodge to trees. He realized that it's too dangerous to be flying, and he reluctantly turned around to head back to the mansion.

"Hey there, Pit-stain."

Pit didn't have time to react as a man pounced on him, both of them descending to the ground. Pit tried to fight him off, but the man grabbed his arms and kicked him, causing Pit to yell in pain. He let go of Pit and watched as the poor angel fall to the ground.

Pit connected with the cold, wet, hard ground. He struggled to stand up and placed a hand on his head. His whole body ached from the impact. The man he encountered landed in front of him. Pit gasped. He saw the wings, the hair, the purple skin…it was his Shadow Clone.

"You…you're the one who killed Ness. You're Darkrion."

"Heh, took ya long enough to finally figure it out." Darkrion flashed a smile. Pit quickly readied his bow. His smile then disappeared as he knocked Pit into a tree. He yelled in pain and held his now-bleeding arm.

"Shut the fuck up. You're so annoying. I should've killed you first. I can't believe my Light Twin is so…_weak. _You scream like a little bitch." Darkrion smiled again, walking over to Pit. He towered over him. "A pure indicator that you'll die easily, you little weakling."

Pit tried to get up, but he only slid back down the tree, wincing in pain. His arm was bleeding heavily now, and it felt broken. His brown eyes stayed on Darkrion's. "First of all…don't call me your twin, you worthless bastard. I'll never be connected to you. I'm not like you. You're an evil prick. I hope you burn in Hell!" Pit spit on Darkrion's shoes, resulting in Darkrion kicking his face. His face became swollen as Darkrion looked down upon him with disgust. The Shadow Clone walked away, allowing Pit to finally stand up.

"So much talk for a little whiny goody-two-shoes bitch. How 'bout I kill you now so you won't have to waste your life anymore, hm?"

"You…you sick bastard. You make me wanna rip your damn heart out."

"Isn't it nice to see that we're on the same page? You and I have so much in common, except for the fact that I'm sexier, stronger, and better. And you…well, you're just pathetic. Just like that kid I killed. Oh boy, I was so happy when blood just exploded in the air! You should've been there; maybe you could have joined him."

Pit was raging. "You prick! Why did you kill Ness?"

"Hm?" Darkrion tilted his head before smirking. "Oh, that what his name was? Well then, he really deserved to die."

"Answer me!" Pit yelled.

"Don't talk to me like that, bitch." Darkrion appeared before Pit and grabbed him by his throat. The angel struggled against his grip, gasping for air.

"Since you wanna know so damn badly, I'll tell you. His Shadow Clone is nowhere to be found. There was no way in hell I was gonna let a perfectly good Light Twin go to waste."

"What do you mean his Shadow Clone can't be found?"

Darkrion tightened his grip before slamming Pit into the ground. Bones could be heard breaking. He still held his grip on the angel.

"What do you think, dumbass! Are all Light Twins this retarded? I mean, seriously! It's like talking to a fruity little idiot."

"And I'm talking to a stupid, worthless, emo asshole who needs to die in a ditch, you dim-witted bitch!" Pit tried to hit Darkrion, but the attack was dodged. Instead his arm was grabbed and twisted painfully. Tears streamed Pit's face as he heard his bones breaking into pieces. Pain shot through him, and he screamed helplessly. Annoyed, Darkrion raised his foot and kicked Pit to the ground, letting him roll into a tree.

Pit shivered in agony. He coughed up some blood, grabbing his sides as his vision started to go blurry. Darkrion kicked him a few times, but Pit didn't care. He knew Pit was still alive, and he wanted a response from him. He wanted to hear his Light Twin scream in sweet anguish. He gently picked Pit up, only to smash him harshly back into the ground.

Pit watched as blood, his very own blood, poured from him. He cried relentlessly, refusing to scream. He knew no one would hear him anyway. He was afraid of ending up as Darkrion's second victim. He didn't want to leave his friends; he didn't to cause heartbreak to Palutena. The idea of death scared Pit, though he knew he was very close to it. The angel closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow when he suddenly heard Darkrion gasp in shock.

"Pit! Get away from him, you worthless bastard!" Pit glanced up to see Marth and Palutena.

"Marth…Palutena…" Pit whispered. Blood stifled his words. Palutena ran over to him and held him. Pit winced, but tried to ignore the pain as he passed out in Palutena's arms.

"So…you are Nightmare and Galaxianna's Light Twins. Hmm…I should let Galaxianna take of her Light Twin. She's been waiting for a long time, ya know. And since Nightmare is _so _damn innocent, that means I have to get rid of yet another Light Twin. Three in a row! Damn, I must be the new guy who takes care of leftovers!" Darkrion glanced at Marth.

"Oh, blue hair. That makes you so damn unique."

"Oh, an evil so of a bitch. You are _so _original."

Darkrion's eyes flared. Black aura surrounded his hands as he reached for his sword. "You dare to talk to _me _like that? Heh, I'm gonna end your life right now." He stopped and looked at the sky, then at Marth again. "Crap! I sense one of the Good ones coming. I sure as hell don't feel like dealing with any of them." Darkrion disappeared instantly, only to reappear behind Marth.

"You're lucky as hell, you know that? If no one was coming, you and your friends would've been dead right fucking now."

Marth smiled. "Oh, I'm _so _scared."

Darkrion smirked, amazed at the boldness of this Light Twin. He was definitely going to have fun dealing with this one. "Don't worry, you will be." Darkrion flew into the sky and vanished. Nightmare and Nocturnal appeared soon after.

"Darkrion was just here, wasn't he?" Nightmare asked frantically. He looked at the unconscious Pit.

"Yes! Look at what he has done to Pit!" Palutena cried as she held her boyfriend in her arms. Bloody feathers fell to the ground. Nocturnal walked over to Palutena, bending down and placing an arm around her.

"Don't worry, Lady Palutena," he said in a soothing voice. "He'll be okay."

Nightmare sighed heavily and took out his sword. "I'm going to go after Darkrion. You take Pit, Marth, and Palutena home."

"Okay."

Nocturnal gathered up the three Smashers and disappeared. Nightmare stared at the dark gray sky, an evil sense still lingering.

"Damn you, Darkrion. You will indeed pay," he said as he flew away.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Kidnapped! The Disappearance of the Electric Mouse Pokémon!

"Pit's wounds have healed perfectly," Dr. Mario said to Palutena. "He seems to be a pretty fast reader. He just needs a bit more rest, and he'll be perfectly okay."

"Thank you, Dr. Mario." Palutena nodded her gratitude and walked slowly over to the sleeping Pit, gently touching his hand. The angel moved slightly. The sun beamed down on his face, making it seem like it was glowing. His chest, arms, and stomach were bandaged, and warm wet towel was on his head. Palutena wiped a tear from her eyes as she watched Pit sleep soundly. He looked peaceful, like the perfect angel he is. A feather from his silky white wings fell to the floor. Palutena picked it up, holding it to her chest as if was the most precious thing she has ever acquired.

Five days has passed since Darkrion's attack on Pit. The Smashers were shocked when they first saw Pit bloody and moaning in pain. It was an extremely heartbreaking sight, and it only got poor little Kirby worried.

"_It's my entire fault," _he thought everyday. _"I'm the cause, the reason, for this hell we're experiencing…" _Only, just only, if Kirby had never seen that clone, none of this would've happened. Ness would still be alive. Pit wouldn't be hurt. No one would be put in extreme danger. Everything would be normal…

No! This couldn't be his fault! Those clones would've come anyway…right? Perhaps they were already in danger, even before Kirby discovered anything? Doomed from the very start? Could this be true? Kirby's head was spinning. New answers were coming to the Dreamlandian's mind. New answers that could change the way everyone thought. Answers that could save everyone. If only he could figure out the Shadow Clones true origins…

"Pika pika-pi!" cried Pikachu, who happened to be glaring at Kirby. Pika pika-pi was the name Pikachu called Kirby. Kirby looked down to see his hand tightly holding Pikachu's tail. He must've grabbed it while lost in his train of thought. Kirby apologized profusely. Pikachu rolled his eyes and headed towards the stairs. Kirby blushed and facepalmed in embarrassment.

"Kirby, are you okay? What is worrying you?" Kirby was puzzled as he slowly removed his hand from his face and looked at Nightmare.

The poor puffball nearly jumped out of his skin.

The Shadow Clone was just mere inches from Kirby's face. The lack of personal space disturbed Kirby, and it was even more disturbing to see that someone like Nightmare doesn't know the meaning of personal space. He wondered how he even got here!

"Wha-?! What…what are you doing? How did you get here?!"

Nightmare pouted. "I truly hate when you refuse to answer my questions, but choose to reply with another question. I shall give you the satisfaction of me giving you an answer. Firstly, I am examining you to see if you are alright. I'm not just here to protect you physically Kirby; emotional states come into play as well. Secondly, Nocturnal and I have arrived here in the same way we always arrive: via teleportation."

"Nocturnal…?" Nightmare nodded. "Look behind you," he said.

Kirby turned around and yelled. Looked like Nocturnal didn't know the meaning of personal space either. Then again, he didn't expect Nocturnal to be the type of person to know anyway.

"Shut up," he said. "You're creepin' everyone out."

"Both of you are creeping me out!"

"All three of you are givin' me entertainment!" Popo said. The Ice Climber received glares, causing him to look down.

"Kirby, I have answered your question. Please, answer mine." Kirby looked at Nightmare again, who still hasn't moved back.

"Oh, uh...yeah! I'm totally okay Nightmare! No need to worry, haha!"

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Kirby looked around frantically, his thoughts taking over his mind again. _"Don't make them worry Kirby; don't make them worry. It's not their job to worry…"_

"If you say so…" Nightmare turned to Palutena. Kirby scampered off to the kitchen. "Palutena, when Pit wakes up, tell him not to go outside again for awhile. With the conditions being the way they are, it's too dangerous to go outside." Palutena nodded nonchalantly. She was playing with Pit's feather, focusing on its beautiful textures.

Sonic stood up, seemingly bored. "This whole situation got me thinkin'. What in the world are us Smashers 'posed to do while you Shadow Clones try and protect us? Are we all going to live in this mansion for the rest of our damn lives while crazy, murderous versions of attempt to kill us? 'Cause I'm not cool with that fact, bro."

"Sonic…" Nightmare began. "Of course not. We are trying out absolute

"So what do we do?"

"Just stay put and listen to us. Don't try to intervene. Let us be responsible for"

Sonic laughed. "But if none of you nice clones are here, then what the hell do we do? Let the psycho ones kill us? I'm still not cool with that fact."

Nightmare didn't respond, mainly because he didn't know how to respond. "We'll always be here," he finally managed to say.

"What if you aren't here? What if all of you are somewhere else at the time, saving five other people? What are you going to do about the ten that'll die? Make this answer clear."

Sonic smiled, happy that Nightmare couldn't respond. He was beginning to seriously doubt the helpfulness of these Good Shadow Clones. His life was basically in their hands, and he wanted to know if they really could protect him.

Nocturnal, who was watching over Pit, clenched his fists, annoyed by the hedgehog's sudden boldness. Nightmare just stood there.

"Well? Let's go back to my first question. Are you guys gonna save us or leave us here to be eventually killed by fuckers who look just like us?"

Nightmare was completely at a loss for words. He ran his hands through his black hair, giving Nocturnal quick, nervous glances. He was never the one to handle things under pressure, and he blamed Marth for that quality. He should be able to answer these questions with ease. It was amazing how he really hasn't thought about any of this until now.

That was a problem.

Nocturnal sighed. He left Palutena to tend to Pit and walked next to Nightmare. As a result of being Ike's Shadow Clone, Nocturnal could easily handle situations like this-just not in a calm way like Nightmare would. Besides, it wasn't Sonic's place to be asking these questions. All the hedgehog had to do was trust them and shut up. Plain and simple.

"Listen up, you hedgehogy piece of crap. Don't get all high-and-fucking mighty about shit. Me, Nightmare, and the others have it under control. We're not gonna leave you to die." Nocturnal narrowed his eyes, but Sonic didn't look to least bit intimidated; he seemed to be mused by his response.

"Nocturnal," Nightmare harshly whispered. "Don't talk like that."

"Oh no, no, no, it's okay Nightmare." Sonic gave a big toothy grin. Nocturnal slightly growled, becoming more and more annoyed by the impudent hedgehog. "That leads me to my next question. Who the fuck are the others? You two are always mentionin' that there are more Good Shadow Clones. So where are they? Why are they helpin' us? Wouldn't it be more helpful if they gave us more insight and protection? Most importantly, when the hell can we meet them?" Sonic's voice had gotten a little too loud for Nocturnal's liking. Some of the Smashers looked at Nocturnal to see his reaction.

"You can see the other when we fucking decide to let you see them!"

"Oh hell no! I want to see them now, damnit! Do you really fucking think that only the two of you can protect us? Like hello! We've already lost one of our own and another almost died! The only reason Pit didn't die is because Marth and Palutena had to rescue him! Wanna know why? You guys weren't the fuck there to save him, that's the fuck why! Are you gonna wait 'til the majority of us are dead until you decided that "Oh, we have to protect our Light Twins or whatever the hell we call them?" Is that damn case? If you "Good" Shadow Clones are gonna do shit, then help us! If not, get the fuck out! Us Smashers can take care of our damn selves!" The room grew quiet. Palutena stared in disbelief at Sonic. Kirby was still in the kitchen, cowering under the table.

"Sonic, stop!" Peach demanded. "They are trying to do their best!"

"Sonic, stop starting shit," Ike said. "You realize you're asking for a death wish, right?"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Sonic screamed. "I'm tired of this bullshit! I refuse to fucking die at the hands of some psychotic clone!" Sonic began to walk away, but then quickly turned his direction to Nocturnal. The hedgehog glared at him. "Do SOMETHING, damnit! Do some-motherfucking-thing! WELL? DO-" A loud noise echoed through the room as Sonic crashed though a glass table. Palutena dropped her feather and watched in horror as Nightmare held Nocturnal tightly. He was struggling against Nocturnal's tight hold. Nocturnal's eyes flashed a murderous red. His eyes were fixed on Sonic. Anger surged through the Shadow Clone. Only one thought processed in his mind: to see blood gush from that little blue bastard.

"So you little bitch, you wanna talk shit, huh? HUH?! We don't have to protect you all. In matter of fact, we could watch all of you FUCKING DIE! ESPECIALLY YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL FURRYFAG! But ya know what? We don't. Why? BECAUSE WE ARE THE GOOD ONES! WE'LL RISK OUR DAM LIVES FOR YOU ALL! We don't have to put up with any of your BULLSHIT! Comprehend this: you can either accept our help, or you can FUCK OFF!" A furious Sonic flipped him off. The Shadow Clone yelled in rage, struggling to push his love away.

"Damnit Nightmare, let me go! I'ma teach this son of a bitch a lesson he'll never forget!" Nightmare didn't budge. Instead, he placed his hands on the sides of Nocturnal's face, making him look into Nightmare's shining red eyes.

"Nocturnal, please, calm down. It's not that important! I'm refusing to let you go until you relax!" He tried to kiss Nocturnal, but Nocturnal stopped him. He didn't need kisses right now; he needed to injure Sonic.

Sonic chuckled annoyingly. "Whoa, watch out! Looks like we have a wannabe badass over here! Is the big bad Nocturnal being stopped by his boyfriend? Such a shame, letting him lead your life like that."

"Keep talking shit, bitch. You'll soon find your blood splattered all over a wall."

"Oh? What this? Is the good guy threatening to kill me? What a contradiction!"

"Could you guys, like, uh, shut the fuck up, please?" Link said very casually. He adjusted his floppy. "We have more important shit to deal with than you two arguing about trivial crap. Shut the hell up! Sonic, trust them. Nocturnal, don't let that idiot anger you. Jeez!" Sonic mumbled something under his breath, wincing in pain from Dr. Mario touching his wounds. Nocturnal finally broke away from Nightmare's grasp.

"Whatever," they both said. The two boys exchanged a quick evil glance at one another, and then they both stalked away. Nightmare struggled to hold back tears as he and Marth followed Nocturnal. Palutena just shook her head, picking up her feather. Kirby still hid in the kitchen, appalled by the events that have just transpired. Pit woke up. His eyes were half-closed.

In a raspy voice, Pit asked, "What I'd miss?"

* * *

Pikachu was curled in a ball on his black and white bed. He held on tight to his pillow with diamond studs and his pearl-colored blanket as he lost himself in deep thought. The electric creature had heard everything that was said downstairs. It frightened him. He didn't like arguments. Pikachu thanked Arceus for not letting the fight escalate into a full-blown bloody war. Sonic would probably lose anyways.

Pikachu stared at the walls. One wall was emerald-colored. One was ruby-colored, one sapphire-colored, and one that was crystal-colored. The walls were completely mesmerizing. Pikachu felt safe in his room. The walls gave his a weird sense of protection. Maybe even enough protection from the Shadow Clones…

Pikachu immediately shocked himself. What was thinking? It's impossible for inanimate objects to save him from ruthless killing machines. Then again, most things that have happened so far seemed impossible to the Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu decided that it was time to lay off the Yache Berries, but he suddenly remembered something Sonic said.

"_You guys weren't there to save him, that's the fuck why!"_

Pikachu shuddered. Sonic made a point there; if Marth and Palutena didn't come, no one would have saved Pit. The angel would've been just like Ness: dead. Pikachu shuddered again. He didn't want anyone else to die. But what if the Good ones weren't here to save anybody? What would they do against the Evil ones? How can they hold off? Could he electrocute them? So many questions…

_SWISH-SWASH! _Pikachu's ears pointed straight up. The Mouse Pokémon looked around supiciously, but saw nothing except a gold-colored lamp and silver-colored flat screen TV. Pikachu shrugged off the noise.

_SWOOSH! SWISH! SWISH! _Pikachu grew angry. The noises were bothering him. The electric mouse left the comfort of his bed when he suddenly felt a cool breeze. Pikachu quickly turned around, only to see nothing.

"Pika pika…" Pikachu growled, hoping anyone or anything invading his space will get the message to leave. Low murmurs traveled through the room. Pikachu's cheeks sparked up.

"Calm down, you electric crappy rodent," a low, rough voice commanded. Pikachu searched frantically around his room, but no one was there. The voice continued.

"I think it's time to show these bastards a lovely lesson in animal cruelty." Pikachu once again felt a cool breeze. The rough voice laughed evilly. Pikachu's anger turned into fear. His cheeks were still lit with electricity. "Never show fear," Red had always told him. "Be confident."

"Heh, stupid mouse. Let's go on a little…shocking trip." Suddenly, someone grabbed Pikachu's tail. The electric mouse cried for help, but there was no response. He tried to electrocute his captor, but his attacks weren't working! Could this be a Shadow Clone? The very same one who attacked Pit? Pikachu's thoughts shattered as he heard the window break. Cold air rushed into the room. Pikachu tried to escape, but he couldn't. Glass shards hit the Pokémon, cutting him slightly. The smell of blood registered in Pikachu's mind.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to escape, ya little yellow prick." The person jumped from the window, dragging Pikachu along with him. The platinum-colored curtains danced with the freezing wind…

* * *

Lucario's muscles tensed. Zelda and Meta Knight automatically looked at him.

"Lucario-sama, what's wrong?" Meta Knight observed the Aura Pokémon clench his fists with fury.

"Something just happened to Pikachu. Something terribly bad."

Nightmare's eyes widened in horror. Nocturnal closed his eyes and sighed.

"I knew some stupid bullshit was gonna happen," Sonic mumbled. He was poking at the cast on his broken right arm. He directed his gaze at Nocturnal, who stared fiercely at him back. "Thanks the fuck alot."

Nocturnal was going to reply when he was suddenly startled by Jigglypuff's scream. Everyone ran upstairs to find Jigglypuff screaming hysterically on Pikachu's floor. Nightmare picked up the frenzied Jigglypuff and observed the broken window. Nightmare shook his head as he tried to control his anger.

"Pikachu has been kidnapped," he said darkly.

"What?!" exclaimed Lucario. "Who could've done such a thing?"

Nocturnal picked up a note found on the floor. "A very bitchy Shadow Clone."

"Read it! Oh, for the love of Arceus, read it!" yelled Jigglypuff. She was wiping tears from her face.

"_Hello bitches. Haha, don't you just love my greeting? You know who this is. In case you're wondering where the hell the electric bastard rat-thing is, I have it. I hope you pricks and lady-pricks said goodbye to your precious rodent, because I'm going to make sure this yellow bastard never sees the light of day again._

_~D."_

The Smashers were speechless. Jigglypuff cried harder as Nightmare patted her softly. She obviously couldn't handle this, and Nightmare handed her to Marth and asked him to take her away. Fury and sadness flowed through his body. He could he let Darkrion get in here? He and Nocturnal should've sensed his presence.

"Damn you, Darkrion," he exclaimed. "I will get you."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Encounter with the Wrath of Darkrion

Nocturnal stood in Smashville Forest, standing behind a tree. He eyed the old worn-out mansion. Inside was Pikachu, most likely scared to death, probably being tortured by Darkrion.

He was currently waiting for Nightmare, though his love was taking an awfully long time. Pikachu could be dead right now, and another life lost because of them. That possibility was something Nocturnal didn't want to think about. He could've just left and rescue Pikachu by himself, but Nightmare said no. "You can't handle them by yourself," he claimed. "Patience is key."

Nightmare is a very patient person, but Nocturnal is not, a trait that he inherited from his Light Twin. Sometimes he wondered how did he manage to get Nightmare to be his boyfriend. Luck, he'd guess.

Eventually Nightmare appeared. He stayed close to the trees. Nocturnal was puzzled. Usually Nightmare would've jumped into his arms and kissed him. Now, Nightmare seemed like he was hiding something.

"Hello Nocturnal," he said with a fake smile. Nocturnal raised an eyebrow, confused by Nightmare's actions. The Shadow Clone sensed something…was there someone else with Nightmare? He didn't see anyone. The aura seemed to belong to that of the Smashers…

"Nightmare, darling, who's behind you?"

Nightmare's eyes widened. He took a sharp breath, his muscles tensing for a bit before relaxing. "No one's behind me, sweetheart."

"Nightmare, I sense other people besides you and I. Obviously there are people behind you, and I'm going to say this now: take them home."

Whispers emerged. Nightmare stomped his foot, hoping Nocturnal didn't see that little motion. However, he did, and becoming intrigued and annoyed, he started to walk towards Nightmare. "Come out, whoever you are! I swear, you do not want me to come get you by force."

"Okay! Jeez Nocturnal, calm down!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Ike stepped out from the trees, followed by a nervously-laughing Marth.

"H-hey there Nocturnal. How do you do?" asked the prince, trying to sound calm.

Nocturnal just stared. "Take them home," he demanded.

Nightmare shook his head. "Sweetheart, be rational. Marth and Ike just wanted to come along."

"They'll be in the way. I don't want a risk of causalities."

"We deserve to be here!" Ike claimed. "Pikachu is one of us! We deserve to rescue our fellow Smasher!" Marth nodded in agreement.

"We made sure not to let the others know. Please, let us be here. This is Pikachu in need of desperate help; we…we have to help save him."

Nocturnal looked at them, debating with himself. He really didn't want them come; it was too big of a risk, and Nocturnal didn't feel like dealing with risks. However, he could understand their point; Pikachu was dear to them. It wouldn't be right to make them go him.

Nocturnal sighed. He had a feeling that something would go wrong.

"Fine. You two can stay." He turned to Nightmare. "Happy?"

Nightmare nodded while smiling. "Yes."

"Okay then, let's go. We already wasted too much time. We have a Light Twin to save."

* * *

The room was cold and damp. It smelled of must and blood. There was no light at all.

Pikachu laid on a bed, beaten and bloodied. He felt like crying, but he knew there would be no point. No one would hear his cries, and he knew that the people here wouldn't care. The only thing Pikachu wished for was to be rescued. He didn't like this place; he felt alone and scared. The Mouse Pokémon missed the comfort of the Smash Mansion, the happy smiles of his loving friends. Though it has only been a day, Pikachu felt like he had been here for years. He felt broken.

He just wanted to be safe again.

Pikachu tried to move, cringing in agony. Every movement caused him pain. He fell off the bed, squealing as he connected with the floor. Dizziness overcame him, and his vision was a little blurry. However, that didn't faze him. He heard footsteps. Maybe it was Darkrion, or maybe it was the other Shadow Clones that laughed at him while Darkrion kicked him. Pikachu didn't care; the thought on his mind was to escape, with or without help.

The Mouse Pokémon crawled towards the door. He didn't know how he would escape without being caught, but he had to try. He couldn't stay here any longer. The Pokémon grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. He opened slightly opened, revealing light. It was bright, so it blinded him, but it was nice to see light again. Pikachu would have to get used to it.

Looking both ways, the coast was clear. Going along with fate, Pikachu scampered out the dark room and turned right, running as fast as he can.

* * *

Nightmare carried Marth on his back as he ran down the hallway of the shabby mansion. Nocturnal and Ike followed behind.

"Do we even have a plan?" Ike asked. Nightmare nodded.

"Of course. We'll find where Pikachu is hidden. After that, we'll find Darkrion and defeat him, and if his pals intervene, then they can join him in the same fate."

Nocturnal agreed. "Find and rescue the Smasher, find and kill the Shadow Clone bastard." Nightmare chuckled.

"Our plan in Nocturnal terms." The four stopped, with Nightmare letting Marth get down. The prince yawned and stretched before being startled by a loud noise, followed by an "Oops! I didn't mean to knock _that _over."

They turned the corner and hid behind a wall. Light footsteps could be heard. Nightmare turned to Nocturnal, a concerned look on his face.

That familiar voice...is that Galaxianna's?" he asked.

"Maybe. Let's see."

The footsteps had gotten closer until Galaxianna appeared. She looked around, apparently searching for something. She carried her staff in hand, twirling it around.

"Hmm…" she said. "I thought I heard some voices." She began to walk towards the hidden group before stopping. Ike gasped, causing Nocturnal to place his hand over the mercenary's mouth. Galaxianna raised an eyebrow, swearing that she heard something, but she shrugged her shoulders. She then turned and walked away, deciding that it was her imagination.

Nocturnal and the others stepped from the shadows, sighing in relief.

"It's amazing she didn't not sense us," Nightmare noticed.

"That, or she's choosing to confront us later."

"Whatever the case may be, we should not focus on it. Let us find Pikachu." Nightmare looked at Marth and Ike; they both showed worried expressions. They were eager to find their friend and escaped this horrid place. Even they could tell the evilness here was palpable.

They continued to walk, making sure their footsteps were as light as possible. One careless mistake could lead to dire consequences. They kept silent, turning corners while searching for any clue of Pikachu's whereabouts. The mansion looked like horror scene; they could only think of how scared Pikachu must be.

Turning yet another corner, they approached a long corridor. Nocturnal stepped forward, sensing a familiar scent.

"Pikachu's here," he said. "Let's go!" Nocturnal ran down the corridor. The others followed him.

"Nocturnal, wait!" Nightmare called. "This could be a trap! We don't know what's planned!"

"I know this scent Nightmare! Pikachu is here somewhere!" They continued to run. Ike slowed down, noticing a bloody trail on the floor. The trail led to a corner. Ike followed it. The smell disgusted him.

"Pikachu?" he whispered. "Pikachu, please, can you hear me?" Ike looked behind him, realizing he left the others and that he was now alone. The tingling sensation of fear came into play. He had no one with him, and he honestly didn't know if Pikachu was still alive.

The thoughts disturbed him.

As he walked, the hallway became darker and darker. The darkness and noises were playing on his fears, seemingly taunting him. Each footstep was followed with a shiver or a gasp. This place was horrible, and he truly didn't want to be here. _"For Pikachu," _he thought.

Low, strangled gasps pierced the air. The voice sounded similar to Pikachu's. Eagerness and concern overtaking him, Ike increased his pace, the gasp getting louder and clearer. The blood on the floor seemed fresh.

"Pikachu!" Ike called, his voice getting louder. "Pika-!" His voice was cut off as he slipped. He fell onto the floor, the blood staining his clothes. The smell was so strong it made the mercenary want to throw up. Looking up, he saw a curled yellow ball, shivering frantically.

It was Pikachu, covered in blood and bruises.

"Pikachu!" Ike exclaimed as he crawled towards the Pokémon. Pikachu rolled on his other side, not believing it was actually Ike. His eyes were half-lidded, but they didn't fool him; there was Ike, now just mere inches from him, debating with himself whether or not he should pick Pikachu up.

"Pi…pika…?" the Pokémon moaned. Ike nodded with tears streaming down his face.

"Yes Pikachu, it's me, Ike. Don't worry." He took off his cape and wrapped Pikachu in it. He then picked up the Pokémon, holding him tightly as tears fell down. He didn't cry often, but seeing Pikachu like this…it was heartbreaking for him.

Ike stood up, getting ready to find the others when something knocked him down. Pikachu fell out of his arms. The lights flickered on, and the screams of Pikachu made Ike jump. The brightness of the room blinded Ike as he looked for something to hold on to. Once his vision returned, Pikachu was missing.

"Pikachu!" he called. "Pikachu, where are you!"

Another scream was the reply. The mercenary's heart began to beat faster. He looked everywhere, but no one was there but him. Only blood lining the walls and the floor surrounded the poor mercenary.

"Oh no…" he mumbled. "No, no, no, this can't be happening."

"Oh, you should really believe it is." Ike froze. That voice…it sounded rough, loud. Pure evil. The frightening realization dawned upon Ike.

"You're…you're…" Ike turned around. An angel with dark green wings held Pikachu by his neck. He smirked, tightening his grip. Pikachu squealed.

"That's right. It's me, Darkrion. Today's your lucky day."

"Give…give me back Pikachu!" Darkrion's glare made it impossible to sound confident.

"This little useless rodent? Heh, please, I don't think so. What I will give you both is the lovely opportunity to die at my hands. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Ike gritted his teeth. He couldn't run or call for help. He and Pikachu were trapped.

"Aww, what's wrong? Are you disturbed by the fact that your Shadow Clone is here to save you? Don't tell me you came here by yourself!" Darkrion laughed. "Idiot, if you really thought you can save this stupid thing, then you were sadly wrong."

"Shut up!" Ike roared. "I don't want to hear your damn voice anymore! A person like you doesn't deserve to speak."

Darkrion's eyes glowed. He threw Pikachu to the side, letting the Pokémon hit the wall. He pulled out his sword and pointed at Ike, enjoying the sudden fear the Smasher has acquired again.

Ike stepped back, not knowing what to do. He'd left Ragnell back at the mansion. He was now weaponless, and he had a very slim chance of being able to escape. If he had the chance to, he could just leave Pikachu. So many emotions ran through the mercenary's head, the most prominent one being fright.

"Nowhere to go?" Darkrion taunted. "Oh, too bad. Looks like you are just going to have to stay here. Isn't that great? Now, stay still so I can make your guts fly everywhere." Darkrion twirled his sword before lunging toward Ike.

Ike screamed, dodging the attack. The sword hit the floor and caused a hole in it. Darkrion pulled it out, an obvious look of annoyance on his face.

"Great, the floor was already fucked up, and ya just made me fuck it up some more. Just accept your fate and die!" Darkrion appeared behind Ike, grabbing his neck. He placed his sword near his face, the cold blade grazing the mercenary's face slightly.

Ike struggled as he was raised into the air. He legs flailed wildly as he took short gasps of air. He began to feel lightheaded. The world around him seemed dizzy. It felt like it was fading away. His breaths became shorter and shorter. The blade pressed against his cheek again, slightly moving downward and drawing blood along with it. Tears stung the mercenary's face. His wasn't ready to die. He and Pikachu were going to face death, and it was all his fault.

Darkrion dropped Ike to the floor. He allowed the mercenary to breathe in some air. He raised his sword high in the air, smiling as Ike cowered in fear.

"I'm tired of torturing you. I got better things to do. Once you're gone, that rat-thing is next, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"P-please don't hurt me…" Darkrion shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't accept pathetic pleas for life."

Darkrion swung down his sword. Ike screamed, expecting death, but instead hearing a loud metal-like noise. He looked up to see Nocturnal's sword stopping Darkrion's. He glared at Ike.

"No one told you to wander off! Now, go!" Ike scrambled to get up. He saw Nightmare and Marth standing a few feet back. Nightmare had his sword drawn.

"Ike!" Marth exclaimed. "Did you find Pikachu?"

Ike nodded. "Yeah. I noticed a trail of blood on the floor and began to follow it. I found Pikachu curled into a ball."

Nightmare placed a hand on Ike's shoulder. "Ike, you had us worried." Nightmare looked to his side. Pikachu was struggling to walk. Nightmare softly grabbed and picked him up, holding him gently.

"It's okay Pikachu. You are safe now." Pikachu nuzzled against Nightmare's chest.

"Bitch, die!" The others turned to see Darkrion swinging his sword at Nocturnal. Each attack was swiftly dodged, only enraging Darkrion further. He held his sword in the air before twirling it quickly. Sparkles of red light formed at the tip.

"You damn righteous Shadow Clones irritate the hell out of me! I'll kill you all!" He swung the sword diagonally, releasing red lightning strikes.

"Like I should give a damn!" Nocturnal exclaimed. He used his sword to reflect the attacks. A smirked formed on his face as Darkrion barely dodged his own attacks. It was like watching a puppet dance. Not wasting any time, the clones charged at each other, their swords clashing.

"After I'm done with you, your little boyfriend is next."

"Don't threaten Nightmare like that, you bastard."

"What's wrong Nocturnal? Don't worry, I'll keep him looking pretty for you…if I don't make _too _many cuts."

"Shut up!" Their swords clashed violently. They both circled around each other, their red eyes glowing with intense fury. Nocturnal leaned in, trying to push Darkrion back. The angel struggled against Nocturnal, his feet moving back against his strength.

"_There is no way in hell I'm gonna lose," _he thought. Sparks emitted from his sword. He was losing this fight too quickly. He had to do something and quick.

Darkrion placed a hand behind his back. A small black aura enveloped it before changing form into a dagger. An evil smirk formed on his face before he revealed the dagger, slashing at Nocturnal's neck.

"What the-?!" Nocturnal stumbled back, grabbing his throat. Blood covered his hands as he fell to his knees.

"Nocturnal!" Nightmare cried. He handed Pikachu over to Marth and ran over to Nocturnal, kneeling down and holding him. Blood spilled onto his clothing, the black clothes being stained scarlet. Nightmare trembled as Nocturnal breathed heavily.

"N-Nocturnal…move your hands. I'll heal you."

Nocturnal coughed up blood. He slowly removed his hands, revealing the large cut. Nightmare held back tears as a yellow aura surrounded his hands. He placed his hands on either side of Nocturnal's neck. The aura surrounded his neck, and the wound began to disappear. Nocturnal winced and clenched his fists; Nightmare's healing process wasn't as profound as some of the other Good Shadow Clones, but it was extremely painful.

"Nocturnal, dear, are you okay?" Nightmare closed his eyes, trying to prevent himself from crying. Nocturnal placed his hand on Nightmare's leg, softly rubbing it while he murmured reassuring words. Blood dripped from his from his lips, but it didn't faze him. The condition he was in meant nothing to him; only Nightmare and the Light Twins welfare mattered.

Marth and Ike stood back, their expressions showcasing true fear. Pikachu trembled in Marth's arms. They didn't notice Darkrion encasing himself with in a violet aura. He smirked, his sword changing shape. It became split down the middle, the sides gaining small spikes. He held the sword in front of him, spinning it quickly until flames surrounded it.

"It's not good to keep your little twins unsafe," Darkrion announced. Everyone's attention turned the Shadow Clone. "Something terrible could happen to them."

With a snap of his fingers, flames surrounded Marth and Ike. Pikachu squealed, the very intensity of the situation causing the Mouse Pokémon to pass out. Marth huddled near Ike, struggling to keep his senses. The flames grew bigger, and Darkrion's wicked laughter could be heard. Marth fell to the ground, taking the same fate Pikachu had. Ike kneeled down and held the prince.

"Nightmare! Nocturnal! Help!" he called. Darkrion pointed his sword towards the Smashers. The sword glowed dimly, blinking on and off before exploding into turquoise-colored flames.

"I wonder what would be a good name for this attack…how about Takoizu of Hell? It sounds a little…eh, I don't know, fruity? Maybe I'll decide once your blood is spattered all over these fucked up walls." Darkrion smirked in pleasure as the attack began to charge. The flames surrounding the Smashers faded away. Marth and Pikachu were still unconscious. Ike stared at the sword in horror, tightening his grip around Marth. There was nowhere to run.

"Ike!" Nocturnal yelled. He broke free from Nightmare's grasp, grabbing his sword and scrambling towards the others. Nightmare followed suit.

"Nocturnal, wait a moment! You're not fully healed!"

"Heh, I don't think you two need to interfere with my murders." Darkrion swung his arm, releasing black crescent-shaped waves. The waves formed into a square around the clones, then formed into a cage. They were trapped.

"Damnit!" Nocturnal exclaimed as he repeatedly hit the bars with his sword. The blade didn't even leave a scratch with each hit. Nocturnal tried harder, his irritation growing stronger with each blow.

Darkrion turned his attention back to Ike. Two of the Light Twins were motionless, and one was too scared to run…as if he had a chance, anyway. Darkrion smiled as he thought of all the ways he could torture and kill the Light Twins. It was a sadistic game he enjoyed, and he was proud that he could do the very same thing to Nocturnal and Nightmare.

Life was indeed a bloody paradise the Darkrion truly loved.

Laughing manically, Darkrion brought his sword back and thrust it forward, sending a spiral of flames to Ike. He moved, gasping as he barely dodged the flames. Darkrion gritted his teeth, holding his sword in front of him. "Die, you worthless Light Twins! Let your blood flow onto the floor!" Ike held his head down. He felt someone grab his shirt. It was Marth, his half-lidded eyes staring at him.

"I-Ike…are we going to…die?" Ike gulped, looking away without responding. Tears stung his face. He looked at his Shadow Clones, his eyes pleading, begging for answers. His mouth asked a question, though no sound came out.

"Is…is it true? …Are we going to…to…die?"

"No!" Nocturnal yelled. He then gasped and grabbed his throat. He felt a surge of immense pain. His wound didn't heal completely. He grabbed the bars, gasping quickly.

"I'll…I'll kill that…that bastard…" he exclaimed between gasps. Nightmare ran to him and held him. Nocturnal nuzzled his head against Nightmare's chest. He felt somewhat warm being in his love's arms, but a cold pit still existed deep inside of him.

"That…that little blue bastard…was right…"

Nightmare shook his head. "No, he was not. We'll figure out something…"

Nocturnal nodded. It amazed him that Nightmare could stay so calm in situations like that. So reserved, so composed…it made Nocturnal closed his eyes.

Why couldn't he be like that?

Nightmare gently placed Nocturnal on the ground. He walked to the bars of the gate, eyeing Darkrion. He placed two of his fingers in front of his face. A small black sphere formed, slightly making Nightmare's face light up. Nocturnal looked curiously at his boyfriend.

"…Nightmarish Whip?" he asked interestingly, a smirk forming on his face.

Nightmare nodded, placing his fingers on one of the cold bars.

"You are correct, my love."

Ever so gently, Nightmare raised his hand above his head and sharply moved it diagonally. The sphere transformed into a whip, slashing at the bars and making the room shine brightly. Nightmare repeated the action, smiling when scratches started to appear. The bars were weakening against his attacks. _"They're going to break soon," _he thought. He continued the attack until the bars started to crack. A faint voice could be heard.

"_Help…us…" _It was Marth's.

"Don't worry," Nightmare whispered. The whip hit the bars again, and with a loud thunder, they clanged to the ground. An inner joy filled Nightmare and Nocturnal. An inner frustration and fury filled Darkrion.

"Worthless bastards!" he announced. "I'll kill your Light Twins, then you!" Not wasting anymore time, the clone charged towards Ike and Marth, relishing the screams they were producing. He couldn't wait for the blood to be everywhere and the grief-stricken faces of their useless Shadow Clones. The yells of Nocturnal and Nightmare racing toward him didn't faze him. Darkrion eyed the prince, the mercenary, and the Pokémon, who was still unconscious. An evil smile appeared.

It was time for them to die.

Darkrion raised his sword high, Ike's face reflecting in the blade. Not even a scream could escape his lips. He could only hold Marth tighter, who in turn held both Ike and Pikachu in utter fear.

"Farewell, Light Twins! You may now meet your ultimate fate."

Before he could finish his wretched deed, a bright light flashed, followed by an explosion. Nightmare stopped in his tracks, looking for the source. A gasp was heard from Darkrion.

"How…how did you get here?!"

Everyone looked at up at the direction was facing; a shocked tension entered the room.

Pit was flying high in the air with his bow drawn. Bandages were still wrapped around his arm. Lady Palutena was next to him, her staff in hand. The flare of revenge was intense in Pit's eyes.

Vengeance will be his, and Darkrion will be his lovely victim.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to update. It had taken me a long time to figure how to advance the plot (I already how the ending in mind: Pit comes in and interrupts everything like a boss, but before that I had an _extreme _case of writer's block). So yeah, I'm gonna try and make sure it Chapter 11 doesn't take as long. See ya next time!


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